1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a profiled clamp comprising an articulated clamp strip having an approximately trapezoidal cross-section and a tensioning closure for connecting to pipes or the like, and further relates to a sleeve joint comprising such a profiled clamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such profiled clamps are used for connecting pipes which have flanges at their ends, for example, as described in German patent 198 00 283 C1. They can also be used for connecting other structural parts, for example, a container and a container lid which are provided at their ends with flanges.
Moreover, pipe clamps are known which are used for joining smooth pipes of identical diameter and are provided at their inner side with conical open rings formed of a metal strip which are slanted toward one another and with their radially outer edge rest against the inner side of the transition from an axial transverse part into a respective radial sidewall of the clamp strip, while they engage with their radially inwardly positioned edge provided with teeth or claws the pipe material. One example of such a pipe coupling is described in German patent 198 02 676 C1.
In the case of sleeve joints of pipes, where the end section of a first pipe is widened and the end section of the second pipe is smooth so that the smooth end section is introduced into the widened end section, wherein a seal is arranged between the two end sections, such profiled clamps are not used because there are no flanges on the pipes and such pipe couplings are not used because of the different diameters of the end sections.
It is an object of the present invention to propose a profiled clamp of the aforementioned kind which can be used without significant extra expenditure also for sleeve joints and still provides a reliable connection. Moreover, a simple sleeve joint using such a profiled clamp is to be provided.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that in the clamp strip a conical ring, which has an interruption and is made of a metal band, is provided whose radially inner edge has teeth, whose free ends are positioned on a circle whose diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the sidewalls of the clamp strip, wherein the radially outer edge of the ring rests against a bent portion between one of the sidewalls and the transverse part of the clamp strip connecting the sidewalls.
In this configuration, only the widened end portion of the first pipe of a sleeve joint must be provided with a radial flange and the profiled clamp must be provided additionally with a toothed ring. In this way, a simple and reliable, highly loadable sleeve joint is formed.
The sleeve joint according to the invention using the profiled clamp according to the invention then resides in that the first one of the two pipes, or the like, to be connected has a widened end section with a radially outwardly oriented flange engaging between the sidewalls of the clamp strip and further has a conical transition from a smaller to a larger diameter, and in that the second pipe has a smooth end section inserted into the widened end section whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the widened end section of the first pipe, wherein the outer diameter of the flange is greater than the inner diameter of the sidewalls and smaller than the inner diameter of the transverse part of the clamp strip, and wherein a sealing ring is arranged between the inner end section and the conical transition of the inserted end sections.
Preferably, the clamp strip is surrounded by a tensioning band whose ends are formed as clamping jaws of the tensioning closure. In this connection, the tensioning band can be correspondingly stiff and have a thick wall so that it can withstand high axial forces of the pipes but so that a closure can be mounted in a simple way, in particular, an articulated closure that is easy to manipulate.
The invention and its embodiments will be explained in the following by means of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing.